


Holiday

by moricat



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Childhood Memories, Childhood Sweethearts, Christmas Fluff, Eremin - Freeform, Holidays, M/M, erearu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 22:25:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8685649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moricat/pseuds/moricat
Summary: In which Armin and Eren reminisce about Shiganshina during preparations for the holiday season. Last minute blurb for Eremin day 9: Holiday! (But it also very much stands for Day 12: Family, so take your pick I guess~).Takes place in a post-war setting, maybe 3 or so years after the war, during some sort of fictional Yule tide Christmas-y holiday season during The Winter Solstice outside the walls. Enjoy if you can! Lots of fluff!





	

The winter solstice was finally upon the land and sweeping thoroughly through the Yeager-Arlert household. Armin adored decorating for the season and filled the little beach home with all sorts of ever green branches, candy, ribbons, candles, trinkets, gingerbread, and music. His soulmate, Eren, devoted full energy in keeping up the spirit with him as he adored the season too, and gladly followed Armin’s lead to make the house festive and cheery. The best part of it all to Eren: the house was filled with the sound of Armin’s beautiful voice singing winter carols through the air. He wasn’t very musically inclined himself and so simply listened with dreamy expressions until Armin would insist he join in.

Once the tree was up, and thoroughly decorated by Armin in solstice inspired goodies, one would be hard pressed to believe it wasn’t actually snowing outside on the coast.

“How does it look?” He asked as he stepped back to gaze upon his work.

Eren’s eyes sparkled at the sight… “Eh, it’s alright.” He jested.

“ _Khh_.” Armin playfully hugged him. “Care to put the star on top? Not just cuz you’re taller than me or anything.” He laughed.

Eren turned his head down to look at Armin, exaggerating his height. “I’d _love_ to.” He chuckled, kissing his forehead. With the star on top, the vision was complete.

“Wow…”

Eren sighed. “Alright. Photo time?” He asked, referring to the yearly task of making a Holiday card to mail out to their family, which consisted of their surviving comrades.

“Mm. How’s my hair?” Armin asked, combing his hair with his fingers.

“Gorgeous. How’s mine?” Eren reflected, removing his furry red hat to knowingly reveal an incredible mess of fluffy hair on his head.

Armin snickered. “Gorgeous. I’ll go get the camera.”

Eren brushed his hair down with his hand but stopped as Armin walked through the passage to the tiny hallway. “Wait, freeze!”

Armin obeyed and stood stiff as Eren approached him from behind.

Eren took him in his arms and pressed his forehead to his, pointing his finger to the stem of green hanging above them. “Mistletoe.”

Armin smirked and swiftly threw his arms round his husband to kiss him passionately. He pulled away, wiping the spit from the corner of Eren’s mouth, and maintained his smirk even as he walked off into their bedroom to find the camera.

Eren smiled to himself, thinking about how lucky he truly was. He moved back into the living room area to scoot the chairs in front of the tree, where they planned to seat themselves for the photo. He turned up the lanterns and lights in the room as much as possible, to ensure proper lighting, and finally just sat down by the tree to wait for Armin.

Minutes passed and passed and passed, until it’d been at least 20 of them since Armin left. Wondering what was keeping him so long, Eren finally took himself to the bedroom to look for him. He was glad he did once he found Armin seated on his knees on the floor, teary eyed and depressed, as he held the camera and previous Christmas cards they’d made in his hands…

Realizing Eren was watching him, Armin finally wiped his eyes.

“Armin, what’s wrong?” Eren asked, moving to the floor to take a seat beside him.

“Sorry… I was just thinking.”

“Oh, yeah? About what?” He implored gently, drawing him close and kissing his head.

“Home…”

Eren’s expression dropped. “Ah… Yeah…”

“…I miss it so much. I mean– holidays at my house were never very cheery or fun, but…”

“But it was all taken from you… I know.”

“Yeah… Forgive me.” Armin wiped his eyes again. “I’ve no right to miss it as much as you probably do…”

“No, don’t think like that! And I understand… I miss even the not-so-great things... Anyone would miss the life taken away from them without warning…”

Armin fell gently against Eren for comfort.

“You know, you were part of my home too… You remember our first Holiday together as kids?”

A smile returned to Armin’s face. “Yeah…”

“…I remember that day so well. My very first, only, and best friend told me the night before, after we chased snowflakes and tried to catch them on our tongue for 2 hours, that he wasn’t really looking forward to the morning. I couldn’t understand that. Because that morning, to me, meant gifts and cookies and warm fires and new sweaters… But to you, it was just another cold morning. We said good bye and you went home to sleep, while I lied awake in bed thinking about you and how much better you deserved. So as soon as I woke up, I ran out of the house, right past all the morning festivities my parents had set up, and went straight to your house to find you.”

“It was so cold, you didn’t even give me time to put on a sweater.” Armin laughed.

“Sorry…”

“No, it’s okay!” He blushed. “I remember when we got to your house, and I was so out of breath from running in the winter air with you, and shivering from the cold. And as soon as your mom saw me and pointed it out, you put your arms around me and lead me to the fireplace to warm up.” He moved his hand to Eren’s and interlocked their fingers.

“And dad went to fetch you a big fluffy blanket and my mom made you a bowl of hot soup.”

“And I apologized profusely for my intrusion.”

“And I insisted you stay because my parents said the most important part of the holiday was being with loved ones. So you _needed_ to be there for being so close to me.”

“…They treated me just like one of the family too… Even Hannes did when he came by to visit… He ruffled my hair and even gave me as many marks as he gave you. And your mom gave me the first cookie fresh from the oven… She was so kind to me.”

Eren grinned. “She really really liked you.”

“She did?”

“Yeah, she thought you were a good influence on me.”

Armin laughed again. “I rather think she misjudged me then, considering I’m the one who made you wanna go outside.”

“Ah, if she saw us here today, she’d approve and applaud.” Eren grinned. But as the seconds ticked on, his grin fell away into a frown as he choked up for her memory and the silly spats they’d have.

Armin rose up to hug Eren before he fell apart. “I’m sorry…”

Eren swallowed the sad lump in his throat as he pulled away. “Oh, don’t be, it’s alright… Everything’s okay… I just wish she could see us now.”

“…She’d be _so_  proud of you… She might be a little mad you joined the army, but… To see the wonderful man you’ve become, she’d rave and brag about you as her son for years.”

Eren’s wet eyes clenched as he chuckled. “That’s a nice thought…”

“…At the very least, _I’m_  proud and amazed by you.”

Eren opened his eyes again to find Armin smiling warmly at him. And it suddenly hit him all over again: he was _home_ now. “Come here, you.” He smirked and grabbed his laughing husband into another big hug.

Armin beamed as his neck rested against Eren’s comfy warm shoulder, which he fit against so perfectly. “…You remember what you gave me for a present that year?”

“Uhh… No, I’m afraid not. Sorry…”

“It’s okay… You gave me a sweater, just my size. It was so warm… I wore it to sleep every night…”

“Oh, right! My mom knitted that herself at my request…”

“Hmm… What I wouldn’t give to have that sweater back…”

“Well, I think you’ve rather outgrown it by now.”

Armin laughed. “You’re right. It’s okay, anyway. It wasn’t the sweater itself that I loved… It was you. Thanks for always keeping me warm at night, Eren… I thank Heaven every single day that I still have you…”

“No, thank _you_ , Armin… In all that I’ve lost, I still have _you_ , filling _me_ with courage, dreams, and warmth… If it weren’t for you, I--… I love you _so_ much…”

“I love you too…”

Eren pulled away to leave warm kisses all over his husband’s face, nuzzling it gently. “I’m always home if I’m with you.”

“Yeah…” Armin pressed his lips to Eren’s and finally stood up again. He held his hand down to Eren, who grabbed the camera before accepting the help to stand up as well. “So, what should our cards say this year?”

“How about: ‘ _Happy Holidays to everyone, except Jean (fuck you).’_ ” Eren smiled brightly at the way he made Armin giggle.

“How about something more like: ’ _Happy Holidays to our wonderful family. We love you all._ ’?”

“ _Tch_. If you wanna be sappy, I guess.” He joked.

“You have no room to judge me there, Mister Sweet Tooth.”

“That’s _only_ with you.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure, come here, _you_ …” Armin’s smile returned in full as he wrapped his arms around Eren again for another long kiss to bring himself back to reality… He pulled away and shared a grin with Eren. “It’s so good to be home…”

_They made a lovely card that year, with honest smiles in their warm photo by the tree, that clearly emanated genuine love for every single person in their family (even Jean). It was their best one yet._

> _(And when the gift exchange rolled around, Eren gave Armin a new sweater, the same color and style as the old one. Armin **loved** it and nearly knocked Eren over into the floor with him from the huge “thank you” kiss he gave him.)_


End file.
